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Topic: Blind Rifts (Read 1171 times)

Eventually it reaches the point where even Torment 13 isn't a big deal anymore, but you have to run regular Rifts to get GR tokens. So... what to do to make them more interesting? I came up with something kinda wacky that I've been doing lately. I call them "Blind Rifts".

Open the obelisk and select a Nephalem Rift.

Before going in, hit Alt-Z to hide the User Interface.

Now enter the Rift.

Hmmm... Blood Marsh

Elites are not named, and you have no idea what their mods are unless you know the visual effects for them.

It occurred to me how much we depend on the UI to tell us what's what, and how much of that is actually unnecessary.

Shineys still have the glowing orange or green beam, and you still hear the sound.

Death's Breath has the distinctive teal color. I always pick them up. If you couldn't already, you quickly learn to tell pretty much any item that drops.

Another Shiney. You start noticing lots more detail on screen.

I kinda like cruising around without a map. No idea where anything is, just me, my skills, and the monsters.

Oh look, an exit!

Ah, the Plague Tunnels.

Sometimes it's hard to see what's going on, but you keep going.

I wonder where we'll end up next...

Stonefort.

I didn't get a good grab of the light show when the Rift Guardian appears. But he's up to the right. I just killed some yellow guy on the stairs to the left.

Ah-ha! Ember!

Once the Rift Guardian is dead, it's okay to hit Alt-Z again to make sure you get all your loot.

I've been running all my Nephalem Rifts this way for about a week. Eventually, I'm going to try some Greater Rifts this way.

It's an interesting exercise if nothing else, and I'm really enjoying it. After so many Rifts, you know when your cooldowns expire almost by instinct. You already have a good feel for how much resource you use, when to left-click, right-click, or use any of your other skills. Without the UI, it's a much more immersive experience, and you have to keep your eyes and wits about you.

I tried a variation on this accidentally, by hitting Alt-Z and then Z, which Zooms in. Very interesting! Instead of seeing things several yards away, you're zoomed in and can only see a few yards around you. Very challenging. The only problem is when the scenery blocks your entire view. But that's pretty fun, too.

I did the Hardcore thrill a while back. It was cool. Got one of each class up to at least Torment I, back when it only went up to VI (and was still pretty hard). I still plan on revisiting those guys someday.

This is more about just enjoying running around killing things without all the distractions, and without a constant barrage of visual feedback. A different way to play the game. Without the game announcing to me when I've encountered Elites and what their mods are, I've engaged them long before I even realize it, especially since it's a ranged character. There's a few times when, after the frakus is over, I find three or four glowing yellow orbs somewhere, with some loot and teal potions, and I had no idea there was an Elite pack. I'm also sure I've missed some orbs sometimes. That's just how it goes.

It's also about seeing everything that's going on, rather than constantly looking at the map, or "checking my balls" (health and resource levels), or watching cooldowns. I have a good feel for when to alternate generators and spenders, so I don't need that. I've found myself enjoying the scenery more. When I hit a Shrine or Pylon, I don't even know what it does unless there are visual clues, like Shielding. Speed Pylons are obvious, but if I'm getting more XP or doing extra damage or one of those, I have no idea. So I just continue running around and shooting things.

Best of all, when the Rift Guardian appears, it's a surprise. I have no idea where I am in the progress of the Rift. If I've been going for a while, I can assume that he'll show up soon, but until the light show, I don't know. And then it almost doesn't matter, because with Nephalem Rifts you still have to kill everything else anyway.

Nephalem Rifts are now a "necessary evil". You don't get as much XP, and you don't need the loot, but you still have to run them to get GR tokens. This is just a way to make them a bit more interesting. I know most of you guys will think this is dumb, because everyone is just interested in doing things as fast as possible and watching numbers get bigger as fast as possible. That's probably the least important aspect of the game to me. I look for different ways to play the game. Different weird-ass builds, setting my own limits, and stuff like this, running Rifts without the UI.

Nephalem Rifts are now a "necessary evil". You don't get as much XP, and you don't need the loot, but you still have to run them to get GR tokens. This is just a way to make them a bit more interesting. I know most of you guys will think this is dumb, because everyone is just interested in doing things as fast as possible and watching numbers get bigger as fast as possible. That's probably the least important aspect of the game to me. I look for different ways to play the game. Different weird-ass builds, setting my own limits, and stuff like this, running Rifts without the UI.

i actually like this quite a bit. been thinking the same thing about t13 and how it's really too easy now with the power creep. i'd been thinking about blizzard side fixes like adding more torment levels (the obvious if dumb solution, tho maybe they'd also bump up the death breath and rift stone drops... that would be nice) but i hadn't really thought about user side changes. gg orbert.

Thanks. Just trying different things, as always, and sharing the results.

I started running some Blind Greater Rifts. These are kinda scary because there's the time limit, but I wasn't pushing, just levelling up some gems. So it was still mostly just blasting everything and finishing in plenty of time.

It's still possible to get lost, and I'll peek at the map if I feel like I'm going over the same area again, or really have no idea where the exit is. I don't want to waste a token on a stupid level 21 GRift because I got lost. Sometimes it's easy enough (like the "gauntlet" style rifts that are mostly linear) but sometimes it's a big square area and the exit is in a corner that's easy to miss. But once I glance at the map, I switch the UI back off. So far, I've done about half my GRifts without having to peek at the map.

Loot from a Tier 54 Greater Rift which I ran "mostly blind". I figured I use the UI once I got over 50 because I'd need it to make the time limit, but it was actually really distracting after running so many without the interface. Plus I was really stoned (can I say that here?) Anyway, I turned it back off. Still finished with 5 minutes to spare.

Greater Rifts are a blast to run blind because there's no loot to worry about, you just run through it killing things and picking up orbs.

I've been running some actual GRifts blind lately (as opposed to regular Rifts or levelling). Ran a few GR 74's with my Demon Huntress the other night. I think 76 is the highest she's done anyway, so it's a few notches down, but still high enough to be interesting and challenging. My Barb gets up to around GR 50 before he starts slowing down. I've got to work on him.